Hunger Caused By Lack Of Income, Agency Says

"Income inadequacy" is the underlying cause of hunger, according to a report released yesterday by the Community Action Committee of the Lehigh Valley.

Janet Ney, food bank coordinator, said the report showed it is a misconception that food shortages are the main reason for hunger.

The report was based on the responses of 190 people patronizing 10 emergency food pantries and kitchens in the Lehigh Valley.

The people who use the food services often rely on stopgap measures for survival, CACLV Executive Director Sandy Murphy said.

A little more than 75 percent of the 148 people answering had a monthly income of between $201 and $600, with an average of $511.

They are "people staying one step ahead of the bill collector," Murphy said.

Only 19 percent of 184 people taking part in the survey earned their income through wages. The other income sources were public assistance, social security, supplemental security income or disability, child support, unemployment compensation and pension.

The report showed that what others often take for granted, the food program participants can not.

Almost 45 percent reported that they did not have a telephone and more than 74 percent did not have a car. Also, 20 percent did not have cooking facilities and 22 percent did not have a refrigerator.

More than 52 percent of the survey participants had less than a high school education. These are people who do not have the skills to get the jobs now available in the Lehigh Valley, Ney said.

And in turn, they have became "a large pool of untapped human capital," Murphy added.

Another of the more disturbing conclusions formed from the study is that people are not taking full advantage of what is available to them.

People are not on food stamps because they are not informed of the program, Ney said. They may also think they are ineligible or want to avoid any stigma associated with the program, she added.

And yet, what is available to them is often inadequate. Food-stamp recipients reported that their stamp allocations ran out by the third week of the month.

This is a group of people who are in "structural poverty" and are never going to go further than they are right now, she added.

It is a problem that "society is going to have to look at. We need to do something about bringing these people along and helping them find their spot in society."

"CACLV will remain in the forefront of efforts to develop the best program for relieving poverty," Murphy said.